Storage battery



March 1, 1932. G, w- H-EBBELER 1,847,214

STORAGE BATTERY Original Filed Aug. l5, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l L -f: S//2 l a @J 7 A@ (jig-1 e y fi@ BVMW March 1, 1932. G. w. HEBBELER STORAGEBATTERY Original Filed Aug. l5,

1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 #y 5 iff W f@ N NH p EW 0 V@ www? JI K r PatentedMar. 1, 1932 OFFICE GEORGE W. HEBBELR, A0F ST. IOUIS, MISSOURI STORAGEBATTERY Original application led August 15, 1925, Serial No. 50,448,Patent No. 1,712,822, dated Hay 14, 1929. Divided and this applicationfiled October 31, 1928. Serial No. 316,311.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in storagebatteries, and more particularly to means for sealing the same. Thepresent application is a division of an application for United StatesLetters Patent tiled by me August l5, 1925, Serial No. 50,448, vwhicheventuated in United States Letters Patent No. 1,712,822. y

The storage battery to which this" invention appertains comprises asingle container' or case which is divided by, suitable partition walls'into the requisite number/of cells or chambers. The partitionwalls arepreferably removable and they, aswell as the individual covers for thecells, are sealed by means of flexible strips of suitable material, suchas ber or fabric, said strips being embedded in a sealing compound whichremains at all times in semi-plastic condition. Theseilexible strips areplaced in the grooves formed by the individual covers and the side wallsand partition walls of the cntainer and are then covered by the sealingcompound. Thus any one of the individual .covers can be unsealed by theremoval of the corresponding strips.

The primary objects of the present invention are to provide a storageatteiy which may be easily disassembled by an inexperienced personwithout the use ot special tools for melting the sealing compound, andin which the individual covers can be removed without the necessity ofdisturbing the sealing joints of the other covers.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a storage batterywherein the separate cells or jars are eliminated and in which theterminals of the respective cells can be connected and disconnectedwithout the necessity of melting and then molding the lead connectors,and to provide an eiicient seal' joint between the individual covers andthe container whereby the removal and the application of the sealingcompound can be eiected by an inexperienced person without the use oftorches or other apparatus.

'With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in c'ertainnovel features of construction and arrangement of parts,

' and illustrated in hereinafter more fully described and claimed, theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a top view of the completebattery.

Figure 2 vis an enlarged top plan view of the battery.

Figure 3 is in part a longitudinal vertical section taken substantiallyon line 3 -3 pi Figure 2, and in the battery.

Figure 4 is a vertical transverse section through the battery takensubstantially on line 4 4 of Figure 2 and showing the application tothebattery of a draining apparatus. c5

Figure 5 is an enlarged cross sectional detail view showing one end ofthe flexible strip exposed through the sealing compound.

-Figure 6 is an enlar ed detail view showing the arrangement o thelongitudinal and f transverse strips. The battery case is preferablymade of vulcanized rubber with the bottom wall 1, side walls 2, and endwalls Ball formed integrally. Suitable grooves 4 may be provided 75 inthe bottom and side walls of the battery for the purpose of receivingsolid partitions 5 adapted to divide the case into separate cellcontaining or forming chambers. If desired, partitions 5 may beformedintegrally 8o with the bottom and side walls of thel battery instead ofbeing made of separate pieces inserted in groovesl 4. I also prefer toprovide integral ribs 6 extending transversely of the bottom of eachcell chamber and forming an elevatedsupport for the. battery plates 7.The lower portion of each of ribs 6 is recessed as indicated at 8 toprovide a clear passage. ray throughout the length oi the cell mem- Atone end of each cell chamber I provide al removable drain plug 9 whichmay be threaded into or otherwise interengaged with the sides of anopening in the bottom of the cell chamber. I have illustrateda preferredo5 construction in which the side of the opening is formed by a wingedbushing 10 of ber or other material inserted into the walls of the case.The exterior of plug 9 is adapted to enl gage av tool, such as isindicated at 11 for the JM part is a side elevation of ,56

The case may be recessed, as indicated at 46,.

to provide a finger hold or' it may have a handle 47 attached in theusual manner.

As shown in the drawings, two strips 26 are used in the instant case,but if desired only one strip of suitable thickness can be used. Thereare two longitudinal stripsQa which extend the full length of thelongitudinal grooves, while transverse strips 26b are coextensive withthe length of the transverse grooves.

In placing the strips in position, transverse strips 26h are laid rst,whereupon the longitudinal strips 26EL are laid. In this manner saidlongitudinal strips 26a overlie the ends 26c of transverse strips 2Gband prevent said ends 26 from being covered by the sealing compound, asindicated in Figure 5. The ends 26d of each longitudinal strip areturned upwardly at the end of the groove and are left exposed above thesealing compound.

The purpose of thisk is to provide ready means for engaging anddisplacing said strip, when it is deslred to unseal the particularjoint. In the case of the transverse strips 26, one of the longitudinalstrips 26a is displaced until one end 26C of the particular transversestrips is left exposed by such dis placement, whereupon ,such transversestrips can be readily disengaged by means of the exposed end 26C. Inthis manner, only portions of strips 26 have to be displaced and onlysuch of the strips 26" as are required are disengaged, the remainingtransverse strips 2Gb being left intact.

As only the ends 26d are uptuirned and they are embedded in the sealingcompound, the eliiciency of the seal is not impaired. The sealingcompound remains in semi-plastic condition at all times; consequently nomeans are necessary to heat the same in case of unsealing the joint andsuch material can be removed and replaced immediately.

By the use of my improved sealing means, the production and repair ofstorage batu tei-ies is greatly facilitated and the cost thereofreduced.

No claim is made in the present application to the construction of thedrainage vessel as this forms the subject matter of a cependingapplication Serial No. 316,312, tiled of even date (now Patent No.1,823,448, granted September l5, 1931).

I claim:

l. In a storage battery, the combination oi an open topped case, a covertherefor fitting within said top, there being an upwardly pre sentedgroove formed by said case and said cover coextensive with andsurrounding the joint formed thereby, a series or strips of iexiblematerial laid in the bottom of said grooves, each strip being ofsufficient width to cover the entire space between the vertical walls ofeach groove` and a sealing compound covering said strips and completelylilling said groove, one end of one of said strips being turnedupwardlyand extended above said compound and the latter being normallyin semi-plastic condition whereby said strip and said compound can bedisplaced by engaging said projecting end of the strip and displacingthe latter.

2. In a storage battery, the combination of an open-toppedcase,partitions dividing said case into separateliquid chambers andterminating a short distance below the edges of said case, individualcovers for said chambers, there being formed when said individual coversare placed longitudinally and transversely disposed grooves surroundingeach cover, a separate strip of liexible material laid in the bottom ofeach transverse groove, the length of each of said strips being greaterthan the length of the transverse groove, whereby the ends of each ofsaid strips extend into said longitudinally disposed grooves, a separatestrip of flexible material laid in the bottom of each longitudinalgroove and overlying the ends of said transverse strips, andsemi-plastic sealing mate'- rial completelyiilling said grooves and covering said strips, said strips being of suliicient widths to cover theentire spaces between the vertical walls of said grooves and beingremovable to unseat the sealing material, con-` tained in said grooves,one end of said strips being turned upwardly and extended above saidsealing material.

3. In a Stora e battery, the combination of an open toppe case,partitions dividing said case into separate liquid chambers and termi-.nating a short distance below the edges of said case, individual coversfor said chambers, there being longitudinally and transversely disposedgrooves surrounding each cover, a

strip of'liexible material laid in the bottom of each transverse groovewith the ends of said strip extending into said longitudinally disposedgrooves, a strip of flexible material laid on the 'bottom of eachlongitudinal groove and overlying the ends of said transverse strips,and semi-plastic sealing material completely filling said grooves andcovering said strips, said strips being of suflicient widths so as tocover the spaces between the vertical walls forming said grooves andsaid strips being removable to displace said sealing material, the endsof said longitudinal strips being turned upwardly and terminating abovesaid sealing material to facilitate the removal of said longitudinalstrips.

4i. .In a storage battery, the combination of /an open-topped case,partitions dividing said case into separate liquid chambers andterminating a short dist-ance below the edges of said case, individualcovers for said chambers, said covers cooperating with the respectivewalls to form a pair of upwardly presented longitudinally disposedgrooves and a series ci? upwardly presented transversely disposedgrooves communicatin with said longituclir nal grooves, a strip ofexible material placed in each transverse groove with the ends of saidstrip extending into the longitudinal 5 grooves, a strip of lexiblematerial placed in each longitudinal groove and overlying the ends ofsaid transverse strips, one end of each longitudinal strip being turnedupwardly and terminating above the respective groove, each strip beingof substantially the same Width as the width of the corresponding grooveso as to cover the entire bottom thereof, and semi-plastic sealingmaterial completely filling said grooves and covering said strips withthe exception of the extremity of said upturned end whereby saidlongitudinal grooves are displaceable by engaging the exposed endthereof to remove the sealing compound from the longitudinal grooves andsaid transverse strips are removable by means of the ends thereofexposed by the displacement of said longitudinal strips. In testimonywhereof I hereunto afiix my signature this 22nd da f of October, 1928.25 GEORG W. HEBBELER.

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